The Headwaters Charitable Trust is pleased to announce the receipt of two Growing Greener grants in February of 2013 from the Department of Environmental Protection.

These grants provide a total of $354,000  for work in the field of acid rain remediation. The HCT has partnered for many years with the DEP and Dietz-Gourley Consulting in acid mine drainage passive and active remediation projects. 

Recently Headwaters’ partnerships and remediation efforts have expanded to acid rain impacted waters using innovative treatment and remediation approaches developed and successfully employed by Jon Dietz.

With this latest investment of Growing Greener funding to HCT, the DEP has signified their commitment and support of our further investigations, identification, and implementation of remediation efforts to restore acid rain impaired waters.

These projects have groundbreaking potential to help reverse decades of water quality degradation in the state of Pennsylvania and nationally.

The Clarion River Headwaters project will assess, identify, and develop remediation plans for the acid rain impacts in the upper Clarion River tributaries, and will lead to a series of construction remediation projects with a potential investment approaching $15 million.

The Smith Run Project, located in the Clarion Headwaters, is an acid rain remediation construction project that will be implemented in that tributary to restore Smith Run and help in the restoration of downstream waters in the Clarion River Watershed.

Matching funds of $65,000 are required to move forward with these two outstanding water quality projects. This conservation effort is one of the most important ones to arise in the Headwaters region since the founding of the HCT organization and will make a lasting difference to water quality in the region, Pennsylvania and beyond.

The HCT provides opportunities for corporations, small businesses and individuals to help fund important regional conservation efforts through the Headwaters Conservation Partnership. Current HCP partners include Northwest Savings Bank, CNB Bank, Atlas Energy, Dominion, EQT, Domtar, Pennsylvania Energy, and the EADS Group.

HCT serves the counties of Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Jefferson, McKean and Potter.

Interested companies and individuals can obtain more information about this special effort and how to support it on the HCT website or by contacting Headwaters at 814-503-8654. 

4/15/2013